This chef really doesn’t rate today’s young talent

James Cochran, who has cooked at The Ledbury and who has just opened his second eponymous restaurant, N1, has hit out at “overpaid” chefs who “can’t even dice an onion”.

The chef, whose second restaurant is a more casual version of his acclaimed debut EC3, has branded 80% of people looking for a job in his kitchen as being “useless”.

“It’s impossible to find chefs. You have so many new restaurants opening every week, and it’s hard to keep up with demand,” Cochran told BigHospitality’s sister publication MCA​​.

“You have chef de parties who can’t dice an onion, demanding £26,000. I would say 80% are useless. You don’t find chefs like you did back in the day.”

Cochran also says that he is unable to compete with the wages some restaurant groups are prepared to pay for staff.

“When you have big restaurants paying £26,000 for a chef de partie, for someone like me starting out, you have to find commis and pay them £21,000 and train them up. That’s the best way. Either that or you go to the colleges and recruit from there.”